Paper Titles & Abstracts

The overall objective of this paper is to analyse the Europe-Asia cooperation and the prospective role for Japan in it. The paper will deepen the understanding of the inter-regionalism via analysing the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) process as one of the positive examples of it. As ASEM involves a three-pillar agenda, comprising economic dialogue, political dialogue and other (socio-cultural) negotiations, it is an appropriate forum to deal with regional and global issues in a comprehensive manner. From the theoretical point of view, ASEM raises some important questions regarding the nature of inter-regionalism, especially in relation to regional integration and globalisation. Japan occupies a unique position in Europe-Asia inter-regional cooperation. Nevertheless, explaining and understanding the role of the Japan in Europe-Asia inter-regional cooperation has been an under-researched aspect of ASEM. In this project, the motivations and methods through which Japan attempts to regulate contacts with international actors namely Europe and Asia are analysed. Japan will be able to make a significant contribution in the enhancement of inter-regional cooperation between Europe and Asia by actively coordinating various parties involved, thereby making ASEM a meaningful platform for cooperation both regions. Moreover, as one of the participating countries on the Asian side, Japan should be able to take a lead in strengthening cooperation among all the participating states in Asia. This will ultimately lead to a more meaningful and effective inter-regional cooperation between Europe and Asia.